1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates in general to three-dimensional (3D) computer aided design (CAD) systems, and more particularly, to a method, apparatus and article of manufacture for generating a (U,V) texture mapped surface.
2. Description of Related Art.
The use of texture mapping to enhance surface details on computer-generated images is well known in the art. A texture is a two-dimensional (2D) image to be mapped onto a computer-generated 3D object. Each point on the 3D object is associated with a point on the 2D texture.
In prior art 3D graphics systems, the surfaces of 3D objects are texture mapped in such a way that the 2D texture is altered as the surface of the 3D object is altered. For example, as a surface is scaled, the texture of the surface is similarly scaled. Often, this results in unwanted effects. Further, such scaling of the texture may change whether the texture conforms to the curves of the surface.
Thus, there is a need in the art for improved texture mapping techniques.